A Dance, Ms Hathaway
by Laurentius
Summary: Rose and Dimitri have a day off together from their guardian duties. Dimitri has decided to spend it watching horror movies with Rose, but she has other ideas. Set a few months after the Last Sacrifice.


I jumped as someone on the tv screen smashed the window of some poor persons house and Dimirti pulled me closer to him trying his very best to hide his laughter.

"The invincible Rose can fight Strigio but can't even handle a horror movie," he whispered into my hair pressing kisses along my neck but I could still feel him smiling against my skin.

I glared at him, breaking away. "It's not scary, it just surprised me, that's all."

He laughed again, his voice rumbling through his chest. "The brave Rose is scared. I never thought I'd see the day."

I glared at him even more form where we were sitting on the couch, his arm around me, and a giant bowl of popcorn on my lap. It was one of our rare days off together from guarding Lissa and Christian, and for some odd reason Dimitri had decided that we need to spend it watching a horror movie instead of doing more important things. Like kissing.

I jumped again, this time spilling popcorn all over the blanket covering us and that only made him laugh harder.

"Quit it" I exclaimed punching him in the shoulder. He faked being hurt and looked at me with big puppy dog eyes. It was so rare to see his like this; open and happy that I paused for a second to take it all in. I must have been looking at him funny because he dropped the act and pulled me closer.

"Hey," he whispered, his eyes still full of laughter but tinged with real worry, as he brushed the hair that had escaped my ponytail out of my face. "What's wrong?"

I smiled at him. "Nothing, nothing's wrong."

He looked at me and read me like I was one of his Western novels; something that no one else in the world could do, not even Lissa. I couldn't hide anything from him.

I sighed. Why did he have to do that.

"This is just so unreal," I said looking away from his gaze.

He caught my chin and lifted it up so that my eyes were locked on him. All traces of humour were gone. "What is?"

"This, all of this. You, here with me. I can barely believe it."

A small smile spread across his lips and he tightened his arm around me. The light from the tv lit his profile and cast the rest of his face in shadows as all the other lights in the room were off. He looked daunting and daring and so, so gorgeous. I would have stopped time-ripped it apart if I had to- just to be able to stay there with his arm around me, his heartbeat beneath my finger tips, his lips just inches away from mine. And most of all, his eyes only on me.

"Oh, Roza," he whispered, leaning in to press a kiss to my cheek. My heart fluttered at the use of his nickname for me and I melted further into his embrace. Only he could turn me into a puddle that easily. "I promise that I will spent every minute," he kissed my neck, "I am not on duty," he kissed my cheek, "reminding you that I will always be here for you."

He paused, looking into my eyes with such intensity that my breath caught in my throat. Placing his hand on the side of my cheek he drew my lips to his. Using his other hand he moved the popcorn bowl on the ottoman, and the blanket off to the side, and pulled me closer to him.

I couldn't breathe. He had kissed me many times before, but I his eyes held so much intensity that I believed every word that he said.

His strong arms pulled me onto him until I had my knees on either side of him and I was placed firmly on his lap. His arms snaked around me, pulling me closer to him. I felt his lips press against the delicate skin of my jaw and began to slide downward. I sighed. All of a sudden he froze.

"Rose I-" he stuttered and I realized what was wrong. Bad memories of a very similar moment rose to my mind.

"I'm sorry," he whispered resting his forehead on my collar bone. "I just-"

"Hey," I said gently brushing his hair behind his ear. "It's okay. I-I understand." It was lame, but I was all I could manage to say to try to make him feel better. He had made so much progress, but some nightmares were hard to forget.

I leaned down and kissed his lips. Not with the promise of something else, but a sweet kiss. Something gentle.

The lights from the horror movie behind me flashing across his face as I placed my hands on his cheeks, my thumb brushing against the slight stubble on his cheeks.

"Oh Roza..." He looked up at me with shining eyes. I saw so much regret, but behind it I saw love; love and the desire to fight. And that was all I needed.

"You know, we don't necessarily need to waste this night watching lame horror movies," that made him smile a bit, but his eyes were still laced with sadness. "There are other things we could be doing."

"Like?" he asked as someone on the tv screamed.

He must have seen something in my eyes because he laughed a little. "Oh Roza..."

"No no, not that," although that would have been good too, "come with me." I maneuvered my way off his lap and tugged him up off the couch into the kitchen.

"No questions," I said seeing the confusion in his eyes. "Not yet."

I rummaged around for a minute looking for the perfect thing. All of a sudden I found it and jazz music began to blare through the speaker system.

I saw his eyes flash with understanding and a smile spread across his lips.

"Would you care for a dance, Ms. Hathaway?" he asked offering me a hand, all formalities in place although he dropped the Guardian title.

"I would be honoured Mr. Belikov."

I placed my hand in his and he pulled me close. I rested my head on his chest, surprised how quickly he took to this idea, and even more surprised to hear how fast his heart was beating.

I looked up at him to find his eyes shining looking down at me. "I love you Roza," he whispered, "I hope you know that."

"I love you too," I whispered back closing my eyes and basking in his heat.

We stayed that way-swaying to the sound of a muted trumpet and saxophones- for a long time. Long enough for him to finally start to let go of that sadness he was holding onto for the moment and relish in the feeling of us finally being together.

When we finally broke away I saw no trace of that sadness and guilt in his eyes and I internally sighed in relief.

"Come on Roza," he whispered into my hair, his lips brushing my ear. I shivered. "Let's go to bed."


End file.
